


Ouch!

by Sebbing_in_the_Corner



Series: Warden Virlen [2]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Fighting, Gen, Some of the Squad™, Sten is Rude, Stick Fighting, Training, With Sticks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-04
Updated: 2017-06-04
Packaged: 2018-11-08 17:15:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,594
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11086230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sebbing_in_the_Corner/pseuds/Sebbing_in_the_Corner
Summary: Virlen Mahariel and Alistair are camping with a group bigger than they first thought. After knowing Sten for just a few weeks on their way to the Circle of Magi, the Qunari certainly makes himself known in ways different from others. Virlen and Alistair are slacking, and Sten sets them straight.





	Ouch!

**Author's Note:**

> Just another small piece based around my Warden. I wouldn't expect anything big from this little series for now. These are just going to be my little ficlets. Enjoy!

Virlen and Alistair were sitting idly, talking easily, when Sten kicked the sitting elf over.  
“Ouch!” Virlen yelped, practically rolling from the power of the kick. He quickly stood up, ready for what was next. “What did you do that for?”  
Alistair got up too, looking stubbornly at the Qunari. The Qunari did the same towards them both, silent for the moment.  
“Sten,” Alistair called. “We are speaking to you-”  
“Why do the both of you persist in spending these moments slothfully?” The Qunari stood nearly a foot taller than them both, an imposing figure. His tattooed form was one both Grey Wardens were still getting used to seeing, just at the beginning of their journey from Lothering.  
“Slothfully?” Alistair asked. “We just spent the whole day walking.”  
“Yeah- and we were…” Virlen thought for a second. “Strategizing. For tomorrow.”  
The Qunari actually scoffed. “I doubt that. Each moment after we set camp is either spent with you two talking or sleeping. Or when the elf dotes on either of the two women in our camp.”  
“Dotes?” The elf asked.  
Alistair looked to him. “Yeah, it’s a word.”  
“It’s an action as well,” Sten insisted. “The two of you don’t act the parts of warriors. It agitates me.”  
Alistair chuckled in disbelief. “Well, excuse me,” he drawled.  
“We are warriors, Sten. Grey Wardens,” Virlen said, “and we freed you because we knew you were a warrior too.”  
“Yes- an experienced one,” Sten said, “a Sten of the Beresaad. And I’ve heard of the Grey Wardens in my years. Little did I ever think I’d find such a foolish pair of children.”  
“Foolish children?” Alistair said incredulously.  
“We are survivors, Sten,” Virlen said. “Only Alistair received so much training before this, and I was new to the Wardens. We may not be the most ideal Wardens, but we are all that’s left.”  
“Well said,” Alistair complemented in an aside.  
The Qunari gave a sound of thought. It was a conflicted one. He then came to a conclusion. “Neither of you are trained then.”  
“Well, some training, yes,” Alistair said, “I’ve been a Warden for only half a year.”  
“Then no training,” Sten said further. “Half a year is far too short to truly hone any skill, that I’ve learned. You are a capable swordsman, and Virlen, you can fire an arrow. But true combat prowess eludes you both.”  
“I’ve trained my whole life as a hunter,” Virlen said, annoyed.  
“But never for battle- that is obvious.”  
Virlen frowned.  
“Follow me,” Sten said, walking off towards his tent.  
Virlen looked to Alistair, questioning. “I’m still the leader, right?”  
Alistair gave a quick look of understanding. “Yeah- of course. He wouldn’t just take over… would he?”  
“Let’s go,” Virlen decided, and the two followed Sten with quick steps.  
Sten was in his tent, and soon came out with two long thick staffs. Observing closer, Virlen realized that the staffs were actually many sticks, bundled into a thick pole.  
“How do you know of this?” Alistair asked, confused.  
Sten looked to the both of them with the sticks standing at his sides, in each hand. They were near as tall as Alistair, and just reaching the height of Sten’s shoulder.  
“Tales of your Warden training regimens spread,” he said to Alistair. “The Qunari ourselves have adopted this practice. A respect to the Wardens.”  
“I didn’t know that,” Alistair confessed.  
Virlen looked confusedly at the sticks. “You want us to just beat each other with these? I remember as a child, when we were not given blades, we’d fight with sticks. Didn’t expect the same in my adulthood.”  
“As if you are an adult,” Sten chuckled, surprising them both. “Neither of you have seen war. True war.”  
The two decided not to dwell anything on it. Perhaps the Qunari was right. It was one battle in Ostagar, but what else? Before being a Grey Warden, Alistair was training to be a Templar. There were no honest battles of survival. And Virlen was a hunter. He always understood the value of survival, but what about a battle with a more abstract meaning? Did the Darkspawn provide that?  
Sten handed them both sticks, and stood strictly before them both. Virlen’s mabari took small steps to the scene, taking a place besides the Qunari.  
Virlen tested his hand on the sticks. It was a heavy bunch. It must have weighed his bow threefold. He looked warily to Alistair who was also inspecting the bundle.  
“I give the command,” Sten said, “and the both of you engage.”  
The two looked at one another understandingly. If they were to train, it’d have to be on each other. Only their skills matched as new Wardens.  
“Fight!”  
The two jumped into a combative stance, both different. Alistair stood full on, flexing his shoulders. They were just in their plain clothes, so they knew this was going to hurt. Virlen had one foot forward, the other behind, to close the space in which he took. He wanted to get hit as little as possible, and hit the older warden as many times as he could. Alistair was a warrior, one of high constitution. Virlen was much quicker.  
Suddenly, Alistair lunged towards Virlen with a slash from above. Instinctively, the elf sidestepped, and quickly swung his staff sideways, aiming for the man’s abdomen. Alistair curved the direction of his staff, and blocked the blow.  
Alistair pushed Virlen away, and aimed again from above with the staff. Using the middle, Virlen blocked and parried the blow, directing the stick to hit Alistair’s shoulder. Alistair, however, was quicker than Virlen first thought.  
The older warden jerked his body to the side, where Virlen missed his form.  
Alistair then swung towards Virlen’s neck, and Virlen dodged backwards, pulling back fully to get a few steps away from the other warden.  
The two took a couple quick breaths before Virlen then stabbed with the stick. Alistair parried it easily, and Virlen jabbed forward again, only for Alistair to parry it this time and make a swing of his own.  
Alistair swung widely, and getting lower this time, Virlen ducked backwards under the moving staff. Virlen with one hand rammed the bundle of sticks forward, hitting Alistair in the gut fully. The man got the wind knocked out of him.  
Virlen stood back again combatively. He chanced a glance to the side, to see the Qunari still watching both of them intently. The dog looked interested too to see the outcome.  
“Had enough?” Virlen asked playfully.  
Alistair wiped some sweat off his brow. “Nah.”  
The two both rocked back for power, and knocked their staffs together. Quickly, Virlen reeled back and thrusted this time. Alistair stepped back, then blocked the jab. Virlen then began spinning the staff, walking forward, as Alistair began to retreat the same number of steps, spinning his own staff defensively.  
Virlen finished winding his staff, and swung the staff forward, towards Alistair’s chest. Alistair’s spinning staff stopped, meeting the other. A resounding clap came from the two bundles.  
The elf then pushed forward, trapping Alistair’s staff to the ground. Virlen pulled back with great speed, and swung sideways at Alistair’s head.  
Rapidly, Alistair ducked his head under the swing.  
Virlen followed that swing with one lower, from the other end of his staff. The blow was nearing Alistair’s feet when Alistair jumped over it. Alistair narrowly escaped.  
Virlen spun his whole body, thrusting the staff now towards Alistair’s face. Alistair was ready now and he blocked inside, batting the bundle to the side.  
“Enough!”  
The two looked off from each other at the Qunari.  
“I’ve seen what the both of you are capable of doing,” he said.  
The two stood their staffs on the ground, looking at Sten, expecting more. Sten didn’t speak on.  
“And…?” Alistair said.  
“I’m not impressed,” Sten said.  
Virlen chuckled. “No doubt.”  
“We have a lot more to work on,” Sten said. “You’ve both eaten, correct?”  
“No,” Virlen said tiredly.  
“Good. Then neither of you will vomit anything valuable. We’ll go on.”  
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Alistair muttered.  
Virlen shook his head, looking to Alistair. “You heard the man.”  
The two were sweating, and both decided shirts would be off. Virlen threw his to the side, took a glance at Alistair’s sturdy form. He wasn’t lean and muscle like the elf, but Virlen still admired him. Alistair had the strong form of a warrior with a bit of flab here and there. He still looked quite attractive.  
They readied themselves then, with staffs up.  
“I guess I will have to take liberty in teaching each of you form,” Sten said. “Virlen is in desperate need of it.”  
Virlen scowled and Alistair laughed. “Not me, I guess.” He poked Virlen’s sweaty stomach with the stick.  
“You too,” Sten said stubbornly. “You were a Templar. Templar aren’t trained to fight men, but to prey on the weak.”  
“I wish that were wrong,” Alistair relented. “Shall we start?”  
Virlen noticed Leliana to the side, watching against a tree. Virlen flexed slightly, showing off, and he spotted her smile softly.  
“Elf!” Sten shouted. “Pay attention, or else it will be me you next fight.”  
Virlen’s attention quickly darted back to the Qunari. He stood up straight, as did Alistair.  
“Face each other and bow,” Sten instructed.  
The two did, though Virlen did it very sarcastically, with twirling hands to his side. Leliana muffled a laugh. It was what Alistair didn’t dare to do, not while the Qunari was angry.  
Sten however gruffly ignored the elf. “Now… Begin!”


End file.
